Opposing The Woodhurst Incinerator
A copy of the letter sent to government ministers opposing the approval of a new waste incinerator next to a wildlife sanctuary
Envar’s application to build a new waste incinerator at Woodhurst was refused by Cambridgeshire County Council in 2023 in line with the wishes of local residents who had formed a campaign group against the incinerator (People Opposing Woodhurst Incinerator). Envar’s appeal was also refused. The new Labour government overthrew this decision on 30th July 2024 much to the dismay and disappointment of the group and residents.
The campaign group has initially committed to a campaign of mass letters to the relevant ministers as well as letters to the local press. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when quizzed by our MP, claimed no knowledge of this approval indicating that it had been “rubber-stamped”, possibly by Matthew Pennycook who is Minister of State for Housing and Planning.
This letter has been sent by myself to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for the Home Department, and various local councillors.
I’m quite adamant that we should not rest until political control of our own communities rests in our hands. Labour’s anti-NIMBYism is a cynical ploy to override local democracy and place the interests of developers and big business ahead of communities purely for the sake of growth, and thus needs to be fought against.
“Dear [Relevant Minister]
I am writing to you to express my sincere concerns about the recently approved appeal by Envar Composting Ltd to build a 12,000 tonne healthcare waste incinerator, locally known as the Woodhurst Incinerator, that was upheld by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Ref. CCC/21/088/FUL dated 29th June 2021).
I note the following:
The proposed waste incinerator would be fuelled by medical waste, largely from the NHS. Yet, the NHS plans to reduce their clinical waste year on year by 8% with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2032 and net-zero by 2040. [1]
According to data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), for councils with above-average rates of incineration, there is a clear correlation between higher rates of incineration and lower recycling rates. The presence of incinerators can therefore be seen to reduce the incentive to reduce, reuse and recycle. [2]
The incineration plant is to be built next to a rescue centre for birds of prey (The Raptor Foundation). This raises profound concerns about the wellbeing of animals being treated and kept there should this application go ahead. These concerns have so far not been addressed by the government or Envar. [3]
The Labour government’s war on “NIMBYism” has allowed a rubber-stamping of this waste incinerator with scant regard for environmental concerns raised by locals or indeed their own environmental policies[4], and hence appears to be nothing but a shallow means to ride roughshod over local authorities and democracy. [5]
Evidence shows that living near an incinerator contributes to air pollution and many adverse health effects. Where is the evidence to show that new incineration is less harmful to the environment and health? We have never seen any from Envar nor the government. [6]
Increased traffic causes more pollution and damage to roads that are already dangerous. [7]
There have been no less than eight other new applications for incinerators in East Anglia. Are we not facing an overcapacity of waste incinerators? [8]
Further to the above points, I’m quite concerned more generally about the use of “free market” mechanisms to regulate the emissions of waste incinerators. The commodification of waste emissions as a solution to environmental issues (UK Emissions Trading Scheme) follows a certain perverse economic logic insofar as introducing instruments of finance (fictitious) capital produces nothing but fictitious solutions, and of course profit for those who have scant need for it. [9]
Said solutions merely displace environmental issues into the future, often leaving them unaddressed, as economic viability, profit, and greenwashed terminology become the overriding impetus rather than scientific and social reality.
Would this profit from lucrative government contracts and ostensibly clever financial instruments that Envar will no doubt use ever “trickle down” back into our community in the form of reinvestment?
I must remind you: It was local residents who took it upon themselves to form a campaign group against the plans for the incinerator and who are unanimous in their opposition to it, hence why the local authorities refused permission in April 2023. It is we the residents who know what’s best for our community, not some rubber-stamp wielder who has never even set foot in the area!
Neither the previous Conservative government, the new Labour government, nor Envar themselves have so far been able to prove the need for such a plant in Woodhurst beyond the frivolous claim that it would create more new jobs. That this was given more weight in the matter than environmental concerns is completely unjustifiable.
One can only surmise that the short-term interests of big business are taking precedence over the long-term health and wellbeing of residents and communities.
Democracy is nothing if it is not a cornerstone of British society, and to see a Labour government trample over our fundamental rights in this manner is breathtaking, to say the least.
In that spirit, I would like to reiterate the call of our MP, Mr. Ben Obese Jecty, and invite the Deputy Prime Minister to speak with the campaign group POWI (People Opposing Woodhurst Incinerator) and local residents.
Yours,
Simon Brignell”
References:
[1] “NHS launches new waste management framework to boost net-zero efforts” https://www.edie.net/nhs-launches-new-waste-management-framework-to-boost-net-zero-efforts/
[2]”Local authority collected waste management - annual results” https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-collected-waste-management-annual-results
[3]”St Ives: Charity troubled as plans for waste incinerator revisited” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-68337577
[4]”Cleanpower by 2030” ”https://labour.org.uk/change/make-britain-a-clean-energy-superpower/#clean-power
[5]”Britain’s Labour government has declared war on NIMBYs” https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/07/10/britains-labour-government-has-declared-war-on-nimbys
[6]”UKWIN’s NOVEMBER 2023 INCINERATOR HEALTH BRIEFING” https://ukwin.org.uk/files/pdf/UKWIN-Health-Briefing-November-2023.pdf
[7]”Incinerators are bad neighbours”
https://ukwin.org.uk/oppose-incineration/#badneighbours
[8]”Incineration Overcapacity Briefing (September 2023)” https://ukwin.org.uk/overcapacity/
[9]”Fictitious Carbon, Fictitious Change? : Environmental Implications of the Commodification of Carbon” https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/11379396/Wim_Carton_thesis.pdf